Roller skate



ROLLER SKATE 2 sheets-sheet 1 June 28, 1938. w. R. CAMPBELL Filed 4April 27, 193'? June 28, 1938. w. R. CAMPBELL ROLLER SKATE Filed April 2'?, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 IIOIIIIIIH@ ATTORNEY.;

Patented June 28, 1938 ATE-NT' OFFICE ROLLER sifiirrE` fwiiliam R. campbell, Battre creek; Mich. Application April 27, 1937, .SerialNm 139,295

1 Claim.

This invention relates to roller skates and morevr particularly to that type of roller skate having a4 single central front roller and a single central rear roller.

An object of the present invention is to provide a skate of this type which will have greater strength and be more easy running and have greater maneuverability than ordinary skates of this type, and to this end the skate includes a trailing front roller, that is, the horizontal axis of the roller is located in rear of the vertical axis of the roller frame, the front roller being of the ball bearing caster type so that when the skater turns on the edge of the skate the roller will swivel and facilitate movement of the skate when moving in a curved direction of travel.

A further object of the invention is to provide resilient means coacting with a lever carried by the swiveled front roller to normally hold the front roller in position to facilitate movement of the skate in a rectilinear direction, said means yielding and restricting too free swiveling movement of the roller during changes of direction of travel.

A further object is to provide a skate of this type which will be formed of a few strong simple and durable parts, which will be inexpensive to manufacture, and which will not easily get out of order.

With the above and other objects in View the invention consists of certain novel details of construction and combination of parts hereinafter fully described and claimed, it being understood that various modications may be resorted to within the scope of the appended claim without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

In the accompanying drawings forming part of this specication,

Figure 1 is a plan view of a skate constructed in accordance with the invention. Y

Figure 2 is a side elevation of the skate shown in Figure l.

Figure 3 is an underneath plan view of the front caster roller and associated parts.

Figure 4 is a detail longitudinal sectional view taken on the line l-II of Figure 1.

Figure 5 is a detail cross sectional view of the rear roller and roller frame.

Referring now to the drawings in which like characters oi reference designate similar parts in the various views, Ill designates the toe plate and Il the heel plate of the skate, these parts having overlapping shank portions I2 and. I3 which are adjustably connected together by a bolt Mf'engaged in one of the shank portions and slidably ttedin a slot -I5 in the other shank portion. A nut I6 on the bolt holds the toe plate andthe heel plate in adjusted positions.

A metal heel guard II is riveted to the sides and rear of the heel plate and a curved leather heel support I8 is attached to the heel plate by the rivets of the heel guard. A strap I9 is connected to the heel support for embracing the ankle of the wearer.

The skate is attached to the sole of the shoe by clamps each having a depending eye 2| to receive an adjusting screw 22 carried by a housing 23 on the bottom of the heel plate. Mounted underneath the toe plate is a yoke-shaped truck or roller frame 24 the same comprising a top plate 25 and integral side plates 26. The top plate is provided with an integral lever 2l which extends rearwardly toa point adjacent the shank portion of the toe plate. 'Ihe free end of the lever is in terposed between a pair of aligned helical springs 28, best shown in Figures 1 and 3. The springs are mounted in housings 29. An adjusting screw is mounted in each housing and bears against a disc 3l which abuts the inner end of the spring.

Referring to Figure 4 it will be .seen that the top plate 25 of the roller frame is swivelly mounted on the toe plate by a bolt 32 which passes through a disc 33 having a flange 3d which extends downwardly beyond the edge of the top plate 25 and is cut away on the rear side as shown at 35 in Figure 2 to permit the lever 2l to swing horizontally when the roller frame swings horizontally against the tension of the springs 28 when the roller frame swivels on the pivot bolt 32. Bearing balls 36 are interposed between the top plate 25 of the roller frame and the plate 33 which latter is riveted stationary as shown at 3l to the bottom face of the toe plate.

A cotter pin 38, or other device, and a washer 39, or an equivalent device, is assembled with the pivot bolt 32 to removably assemble the roller frame with the toe plate. The front. roller shaft 40 is journaled in the side plates of the roller frame and this shaft is: located in rear of the vertical axis of pivotal movement of the frame, constituting the pivot bolt 32 so that the front roller 4I is of the trailing caster type.

Both the front roller and the rear roller 42 are substantially identical in construction, and as best shown in Figure 5 each is formed in two sections comprising a hub 43, a radial. flange 44 and an outwardly flared rim 45. The flanges of both sections are riveted together as shown at 46. A rubber tire 41 of the solid type is mounted in the ared rim 45.

The rear roller, as best shown in Figure 5, is mounted on a shaft i8 which is supported by side plates 49 that are Xed to the heel plate l l. Bearing balls 50 are retained in conventional bearing plates 5l and 52 carried by the hub 43 and form antifricton bearings to permit free roitation of the roller on the shaft.

In operation the front roller 4l adapts itself, caster like, to the movement of the skate in a curved direction, greatly facilitating the ease with which such movement can be made. Swiveling movement of the roller is controlled by pressure of the springs 28 on the lever 21 carried .by the roller frame. Adjustment of the tensio-n of these springsI by manipulation of the bolts 30 controls the freedom of movement of the caster roller. v

From the above description it is thought that the construction and operation of the invention will be fully understood without further explanation.

What is claimed is:

A roller skate comprising a foot supporting plate, a rear roller carrying frame connected to said plate, a front roller carrying frame extending downwardly and rearwardly from said foot supporting plate, a top plate integral with said front frame, a pivot pin swivelly connecting the top plate to the foot supporting plate, a disc fixed to said foot supporting plate and having a ange extending downwardly beyond the edge of said top plate, bearing balls between the disc and the top plate, said flange being cut away at the rear side, a lever integral with said top plate and extending rearwardly through said cut away portion of the ange, housings depending from the foot plate on opposite sides of the free end of the lever, helical springs in the housings bearing against the lever and yieldably holding the front frame against swivel movement on said pivot pin, and set screws entering the housings and bearing against the springs to adjust the tension of the springs.

WILLIAM R. CAMPBELL. 

